Wireless network and a repeater...not working.

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equalme

Gawd
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Sep 15, 2005
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955
Ok guys, after sitting through three Linksys customer service rep., I am now tired of them repeating the same crap over and over again.

Here is my situation. I live in an apartment, I have Time Warner Cable, and I'm using a Linksys WRT54GL flashed with the DD-WRT firmware.

Throughout my apartment I get almost full signal. My girlfriend just moved into the same apartment complex, almost right next to me (about 30 ft. away). I can access the internet when I am standing outside of her door, but I lose internet access once I step through the door. I am still able to pick up the signal but with no internet access.

I have been using a WAP54G as a AP Client to connect to my PS3, so now I am trying to use the WAP54G as a repeater.

So I setup the WAP54G into my girlfriend's place and into a room that is closest to my place (30 ft. away from the router with two walls inbetween). In that room, my laptop (has a built-in wireless card) shows that the signal is low (majority of the time I cannot connect to my router). With the WAP54G installed, my signal is almost at full, but I am still unable to gain internet access.

The WAP54G shows the router signal at 20%.

Now what I have really wanted to know the whole time (which the Linksys customer reps. were not able to confirm for me), does the WAP54G have to be placed in an area that is able to receive BOTH signal and internet access? Or does it only have to be able to pick up signal only?

I really do not know why I cannot even pick up internet access from the router at such a short distance. My cousin that lives three floors up, with god knows how many walls, and is still able to pick up internet access with LOW signal.

Please give me your suggestions! It will really beat having to pay an extra $50 monthly bill for my girlfriend.

Thanks in advance,
Anthony
 
i am not familiar with the specifics of those linksys routers.. is there a repeater function / utility built into that router? it should work..

are you saying that between the 2 routers, there is only 20% signal strength?

you might want to experiment with antennas.. things like high gain antennas, directional antennas..

you can make powerful antennas for cheap..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantenna

i have always wanted to build one of these
http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

i have had success connecting to networks and getting internet access when they had "no signal" according to the windows wireless utility.. sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.. can't you just run some cat5 out your window around the side of the building and into a window in her apartment? just a thought...
 
scottatwittenberg said:
i am not familiar with the specifics of those linksys routers.. is there a repeater function / utility built into that router? it should work..

are you saying that between the 2 routers, there is only 20% signal strength?

you might want to experiment with antennas.. things like high gain antennas, directional antennas..

you can make powerful antennas for cheap..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantenna

i have always wanted to build one of these
http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

i have had success connecting to networks and getting internet access when they had "no signal" according to the windows wireless utility.. sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.. can't you just run some cat5 out your window around the side of the building and into a window in her apartment? just a thought...
Click to expand...

Yes, the Linksys WAP54G is capable of being used as a repeater.

And yes, from the placement of the router to the access point, the access point setup page shows that the signal from the router is at 20%.

Wires running out of the window to her apartment is not possible, I actually live in a condominium...but it is built like an apartment complex. There are many restrictions since there is a home association here.
 
I'm guessing my best bet is to hookup a cantenna to the router and point it toward my girlfriend's place, correct?

I also have been wondering...does wireless signal actually go through the wall, or through small crevices (i.e. windows, doors, etc.)? Reason being is that if I do use a cantenna, it will be pointing straight at the interior wall toward my girlfriend's place (Just wondering if the signal will bounce off the wall instead).

Thanks.
 
20% signal strength on a 11g netwok could possibly be slower than your internet connection. Can you ping the router? Try moving the repeater to where it will get a better signal or run a ethernet cable to it if it has a ethernet port.
 
anthongy817 said:
Wires running out of the window to her apartment is not possible, I actually live in a condominium...but it is built like an apartment complex. There are many restrictions since there is a home association here.
Click to expand...

only if they find out...

i don't know about the whole signal reflecting off the walls thing.. they might.. that might be your problem in the first place being that you are 30 feet away and it doesn't work right..

maybe you can triangulate the signal with your cousin who is three floors up.. it might work.. see if you can get a signal from his apartment to her's.... or maybe you can put the repeater in a ceiling panel above her door since you said that you can get a signal outside her door.. there is a chance that someone would find it and take it.. but that probably wouldn't happen.. (assuming you have drop tile ceilings or some other place to hide your router)
 
scottatwittenberg said:
only if they find out...

i don't know about the whole signal reflecting off the walls thing.. they might.. that might be your problem in the first place being that you are 30 feet away and it doesn't work right..

maybe you can triangulate the signal with your cousin who is three floors up.. it might work.. see if you can get a signal from his apartment to her's.... or maybe you can put the repeater in a ceiling panel above her door since you said that you can get a signal outside her door.. there is a chance that someone would find it and take it.. but that probably wouldn't happen.. (assuming you have drop tile ceilings or some other place to hide your router)
Click to expand...

Well my cousin does live in the same building, but just on the third floor while i'm on the first. My girlfriend lives in another building, the building is right next to my building, and her room is closer to the router than my cousins room. I'm guessing the signal must be traveling through the metal structure of the building to get to my cousins place.

Although the router is facing a wall, there is a window in the room which is about 3 ft. to the left of the router (the router is in a corner). If I were to setup a cantenna, the cantenna will also be in the corner facing directly at the wall.

There is no ceiling tiles here. The access point is already closes to the router as possible. And if I do run a cable to her place, they will easily find out. It will be crossing two sidewalks and the lawn mowers will probably run it over.
 
RoBo said:
20% signal strength on a 11g netwok could possibly be slower than your internet connection. Can you ping the router? Try moving the repeater to where it will get a better signal or run a ethernet cable to it if it has a ethernet port.
Click to expand...

Pinging the router at my girlfriends place was unsuccessful.
 
ok.. i didn't realize there were two different buildings...
why can't you put your router in the window? or at least an antenna in the window? i think that would boost the signal greatly...
 
scottatwittenberg said:
ok.. i didn't realize there were two different buildings...
why can't you put your router in the window? or at least an antenna in the window? i think that would boost the signal greatly...
Click to expand...

Well I could, but the router is in my sister's bedroom. If I were to place it in front of the window, then it would be in her "work" space on the desk.
 
anthongy817 said:
Linksys WRT54GL flashed with the DD-WRT firmware.

snip

I am trying to use the WAP54G as a repeater
Click to expand...

since your WRT54Gx is using dd-wrt firmware you cannot use a WAP54G with linksys firmware as a repeater

it is possible to flash your WAP54G with the micro ver of the dd-wrt firmware, then set it up as a reapeater tho
 
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